Scott Schiel of the Summit Township Fire Department, collects money during the Fill the Boot drive which raises money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association at the intersection of W. Michigan Avenue and Brown Street on Thursday, July 18. Money raised by the Jackson and Summit Township fire departments will be redistributed back into the community helping children with neuromuscular diseases. (Andrew Kuhn | MLive.com)

JACKSON, MI– Firefighters from Summit Township and the Jackson Fire department were collecting money Thursday at the intersection of W. Michigan Avenue and Brown Street during the Fill the Boot for MDA drive, a fundraiser benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Money raised from the drive will help children in local communities who have neuromuscular diseases.

Todd Moore has been the MDA coordinator for Summit Township for the past 13 years. According to Moore, members of the Jackson and Summit Township fire departments generally raise between $3,000 and $6,000 a year.

"The money that we raise here in Jackson tends to stay in Jackson, to help out the kids in this community," Moore said.

Jackson firefighter Joe Smith joined his fellow firefighters in the Fill the Boot drive for the first time on Thursday.

"A majority of us here are on our day off," Smith said. "I think it's in our nature to give back and help whenever we can."

Within the first hour of collecting money, Smith received multiple $20 bills from motorists traveling through the intersection.

"That could be a couple hours of someone's work right there," said Smith. "And to give it up, that says a lot."

Joel Skrypec, who has been with the Jackson Fire department since 2007, is participating in the Fill the Boot drive for the fourth time.

"Its a good feeling anytime you give back to a charity," Skrypec said. "Its nice because we know where the money goes."

Firefighters from Jackson and Summit Township will be at the intersection of Brown Street and W. Michigan Avenue collecting donations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Sunday, July 20.